Potted film reviews by Gary Anthony Cross

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016

Kick Ass (2010)

When teenage geek Dave Lizewski decides to become a superhero even though he has no powers whatsoever he becomes an overnight internet celebrity, not reckoning on meeting a pair of genuine vigilantes in the form of a vengeance obsessed ex-cop and his daughter.

In the real world, what kind of people would want to don tights and become crime fighters? It would probably be a combination of inept, comic-obsessed nerds and violent psychopaths, and so it is in Kick Ass. The film is a kind of homage to comic book heroes. Or a grittily dark high octane action film. But neither. And both! It’s a bit hard to describe because it’s quite schizophrenic in nature; one minute teenage nerd comedy as it concentrates on the character of Dave, the next a kick-ass action movie when Hitgirl and Big Daddy crash onto the screen. It’s always done with its tongue firmly in its cheek however and it never descends into the typical action-comedy formula. It has plenty of references to keep the comic fans happy, Nicolas Cage’s insistence on talking like Adam West every time he donned his costume despite the gruesome violence he doles out is particularly amusing and seeing a gang of ruthless criminals taken apart by an eleven year old girl is something glorious to behold!

It does have a couple of cheesy crowd/studio pleasing moments, but generally it’s a genuine oddball that’s immensely entertaining. A film Kevin Smith would have given his left testicle to have made.